Story thread · 2 reports / 1 sources

Lebanon and Syria seek to strengthen ties on UNGA sidelines

thenationalnews.com · 2hShare

Lebanon and Syria sought to deepen ties and press on with a new chapter in their relations when Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Their relations have been marked by decades of turbulence, with the Syria occupying its neighbour for decades during the Assad family's iron-fisted rule. The two countries initiated a reset in their troubled relationship in late 2024, after the collapse of the Assad regime in late 2024, which had been propped up during the Syrian civil war by the Lebanese armed group and political party Hezbollah. Mr Al Shara led the lightening rebel advance that toppled the Assad regime after five decades of authoritarian rule. “We have been working for some time to open a new page with our Syrian brothers, and to build relations between our two countries on trust, non-interference in internal affairs and shared interests,” Mr Salam said after meeting Mr Al Shara on Wednesday.

First report: Al Shara and Al Zaidi hold first meeting as Syria and Iraq look to turn page — thenationalnews.com, 1d